Veronika Vadovicova is one of the sport’s greats. Over five Paralympic Games and four World Championships, Vadovicova has been consistent at the top with numerous medals.
She made her international debut in 1999, and the 2018 World Championships in Cheongju, South Korea, only confirmed that she is still in form.
In Cheongju, Vadovicova added a pair of gold medals to her collection, including a world record in the R3 (mixed 10m air rifle prone SH1). The Slovakian had to settle for silver in the R2 (women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1). But do not count her out of gold at the Tokyo 2020, which would be her fifth Paralympics.
The Trnava native has fought long and hard to get to the position she is in today. After winning gold in her Paralympic debut at Beijing 2008 in the R2, she has been plugging away at World Cups. In 2015, she won seven World Cup events and set a new R3 world record in Poland.
Her closest competitors are China’s R2 Paralympic champion Cuiping Zhang, as well as Germany’s R3 European champion Natascha Hiltrop and Great Britain's Matt Skelhon.
At Rio 2016, Vadovicova beat all three to claim two golds and one silver, only missing out on the podium in R6 (mixed 50m rifle prone SH1). Her titles also came with a finals Paralympic record in R3 and a qualification and finals Paralympic record in R3.
Results
| Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixed Air Rifle Prone SH1 | Preliminary | 49 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixed Free Rifle Prone SH1 | Final Round | 8 | ||
| Mixed Free Rifle Prone SH1 | Qualification | 7 | ||
| Mixed Air Rifle Prone SH1 | Final Round | 6 | ||
| Mixed Air Rifle Prone SH1 | Qualification | 8 | ||
| Women's Sport Rifle 3x20 SH1 | Final Round | 4 | ||
| Women's Sport Rifle 3x20 SH1 | Qualification | 4 | ||
| Women's Air Rifle Standing SH1 | Final Round | 1 | ||
| Women's Air Rifle Standing SH1 | Qualification | 1 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Sport Rifle 3x20 SH1 | Final Round | 6 | ||
| Women's Sport Rifle 3x20 SH1 | Preliminary | 6 | ||
| Mixed Free Rifle Prone SH1 | Preliminary | 15 | ||
| Mixed Air Rifle Prone SH1 | Preliminary | 14 | ||
| Women's Air Rifle Standing SH1 | Final Round | 8 | ||
| Women's Air Rifle Standing SH1 | Preliminary | 8 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 | Qualification | 2010-07-17 | 8 | |
| Mixed 10m Air Rifle prone SH1 | Qualification | 2010-07-19 | 2 | |
| Women's 50m Sport Rifle 3x20 SH1 | Qualification | 2010-07-20 | 3 | |
| Mixed 50m Rifle prone SH1 | Elimination | 2010-07-23 | 16 | |
| Mixed 50m Rifle prone SH1 | Qualification | 2010-07-23 | 26 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R2 - Women's 10 m Air Rifle Standing SH1 | Qualification | 2012-08-30 | 3 | |
| R2 - Women's 10 m Air Rifle Standing SH1 | Final Round | 2012-08-30 | 7 | |
| R3 - Mixed 10 m Air Rifle Prone SH1 | Qualification | 2012-09-01 | 9 | |
| R6 - Mixed 50 m Rifle Prone SH1 | Qualification | 2012-09-04 | 29 | |
| R8 - Women's 50 m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 | Qualification | 2012-09-06 | 3 | |
| R8 - Women's 50 m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 | Final Round | 2012-09-06 | 3 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 | Final | 2014-07-19 | 1 | |
| Women's 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 | Qualification | 2014-07-19 | 1 | |
| Mixed 10m Air Rifle prone SH1 | Final | 2014-07-21 | 7 | |
| Mixed 10m Air Rifle prone SH1 | Qualification | 2014-07-21 | 2 | |
| Mixed 50m Rifle prone SH1 | Elimination | 2014-07-22 | 20 | |
| Mixed 50m Rifle prone SH1 | Qualification | 2014-07-22 | 25 | |
| Women's 50m Sport Rifle 3x20 SH1 | Qualification | 2014-07-24 | 1 | |
| Women's 50m Sport Rifle 3x20 SH1 | Final | 2014-07-24 | 2 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R2 - Women's 10 m Air Rifle Standing SH1 | Final Round | 2016-09-08 | 1 | |
| R2 - Women's 10 m Air Rifle Standing SH1 | Qualification | 2016-09-08 | 2 | |
| R3 - Mixed 10 m Air Rifle Prone SH1 | Qualification | 2016-09-10 | 1 | |
| R3 - Mixed 10 m Air Rifle Prone SH1 | Final Round | 2016-09-10 | 1 | |
| R8 - Women's 50 m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 | Final Round | 2016-09-13 | 2 | |
| R8 - Women's 50 m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 | Qualification | 2016-09-13 | 2 | |
| R6 - Mixed 50 m Rifle Prone SH1 | Qualification | 2016-09-14 | 4 | |
| R6 - Mixed 50 m Rifle Prone SH1 | Final Round | 2016-09-14 | 6 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team R3 - Mixed 10m Air Rifle prone SH1 | Qualification | 2018-05-05 | 3 | |
| R8 - Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 | Final | 2018-05-05 | 1 | |
| R8 - Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 | Qualification | 2018-05-05 | 5 | |
| R3 - Mixed 10m Air Rifle prone SH1 | Final | 2018-05-05 | 1 | |
| R3 - Mixed 10m Air Rifle prone SH1 | Qualification | 2018-05-05 | 4 | |
| R6 - Mixed 50m Rifle prone SH1 | Final | 2018-05-05 | 7 | |
| R6 - Mixed 50m Rifle prone SH1 | Qualification | 2018-05-05 | 3 | |
| R2 - Women's 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 | Final | 2018-05-05 | 2 | |
| R2 - Women's 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 | Qualification | 2018-05-05 | 1 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R3 - Mixed 10m Air Rifle prone SH1 | Final | 2019-10-12 | 8 | |
| R3 - Mixed 10m Air Rifle prone SH1 | Qualification | 2019-10-12 | 1 | |
| Team R3 - Mixed 10m Air Rifle prone SH1 | Final | 2019-10-12 | 5 | |
| R8 - Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 | Qualification | 2019-10-14 | 8 | |
| R8 - Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 | Final | 2019-10-14 | 7 | |
| R2 - Women's 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 | Final | 2019-10-16 | 1 | |
| R2 - Women's 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 | Qualification | 2019-10-16 | 4 | |
| R10 - 10m Air Rifle Standing Mixed Team SH1 | Final | 2019-10-17 | 2 | |
| Team R6 - Mixed 50m Rifle prone SH1 | Final | 2019-10-17 | 4 | |
| R10 - 10m Air Rifle Standing Mixed Team SH1 | Qualification | 2019-10-17 | 5 | |
| R6 - Mixed 50m Rifle prone SH1 | Elimination | 2019-10-17 | 1 | |
| R6 - Mixed 50m Rifle prone SH1 | Qualification | 2019-10-18 | 9 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R2 - Women's 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 | Qualification | 2021-08-30 | 3 | |
| R2 - Women's 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 | Final | 2021-08-30 | 4 | |
| R3 - Mixed 10m Air Rifle prone SH1 | Final | 2021-09-01 | 6 | |
| R3 - Mixed 10m Air Rifle prone SH1 | Qualification | 2021-09-01 | 5 | |
| R8 - Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 | Final | 2021-09-03 | 6 | |
| R8 - Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 | Qualification | 2021-09-03 | 5 | |
| R6 - Mixed 50m Rifle prone SH1 | Final | 2021-09-05 | 1 | |
| R6 - Mixed 50m Rifle prone SH1 | Qualification | 2021-09-05 | 4 |
Related stories
Paris 2024: De La Forest finally wins first Paralympic gold at home
Frenchman Tanguy De La Forest takes second medal at Paris 2024 winning the mixed R5 final while Slovakian legend Veronica Vadovicova regains Paralympic gold in mixed R3 event on day three at Chateauroux Shooting Centre
World champ de La Forest aims for first medal in sixth Games
The Frenchman hopes for success on home soil in an intriguing shooting Para sport competition
Paris 2024 Paralympics: Shooting Para sport day three preview
The ones to watch in the third day of competition at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre with the mixed R3 and mixed R5 finals
Granada 2024: Shooting stars put their rivals on notice ahead of Paris 2024
Poland topped the medal table followed by Ukraine and Serbia, even as Czech Republic, Georgia, Finland and Portugal bagged their first quota place for Paralympics over five days of intense action at the WSPS European Championships